Gowing up Vandergirl...And the blowdryer.

So...I thought it would be fun to share a glimpse of what it was like to grow up with a house full of girls.  I have stories upon stories with each of my sisters!  However, Sara and I use to brawl.  Literally, brawl- like boys.  She was definitely a tom-boy for a while and I was sort of one...so I guess it fit our personalities to throw down every once in a while.
Anyway, One night we were getting ready (we always did this in towels or in the buff...not sure why, but we did) she did her ever-so-famous button pushing with me.  She launched a pillow at me while I was curling my eyelashes...seriously...owe.  Out came a chunk of my eyelashes and fire quickly filled my eyes...in an instant I was on the attack.  Somehow, she weaseled her way into the bathroom where she slammed and locked the door...her life would be spared, or at least temporarily.  I cannot adequately express in words how angry I was at this point.  Not only was I missing a good portion of my eyelashes, I could not even make her pay.  My evil, devising mind came up with a plan of action...beat the door down?!  No, Dad would kill me.  Wait until she got up the nerve to come out?  No, I would loose my anger and not give her the whooping she deserved.  Cry?!  Yes, that might work, but I would have to be convincing.
I began crying and told her I was bleeding and I needed to get into the bathroom.  She was suspicious but she wasn't cruel.  So, after a little more convincing through fake tears... the lock turned and I was in!  I lunged at her and took her down to the ground.  I grabbed the nearest thing I could find to wallop her with...my eye caught the blow dryer and instantly it was in my hand and I was making her pay.  She was screaming for mercy and mercy I did not show.  UNTIL...Dad (Dad?!) came to her rescue.  Dad pulled our naked bodies off of each other and Sara was saved.  You would think we would have been embarrassed...standing their nude as he quickly exited and scolded us on his way back downstairs...I guess revenge and anger had overtaken us and being naked was the least of our concerns.  What a sight for our poor father...I bet he might have secretly wished we were boys in that moment! :)
It is crazy to think that we use to have moments like this growing up (more often than not). Somehow we would end the night cuddled in the same bed occasionally kicking each other but mostly talking and laughing.  We really, genuinely loved each other...despite our physical and verbal fights.  I think they actually made us grow closer together.  Today, we all (meaning all 4 of us) can be brutally honest with each other without hating each other.  We GENUINELY share in each others hurts and joyous moments.  We aren't jealous of each other and want world for each other!  We are each others besties!
***So...the moral of the story is...beating the crap out of each other ensures a friendship that runs deeper than the sea!  HE HA!!!
Here are some photos of Sara and I as youngins!

My Mom always had all 4 of us matching on Sundays!

We were quite the softball players!

I am pretty sure this was for a junior high school dance!

One shouldered dresses!

Obsessions

I am a food junkie!! Seriously. I love food...I love to talk about it, think about it, plan for it, etc. I love rich and fattening foods, but I am now closer to 30 than 20...so I had to change-up my diet to maintain a weight I feel good about. I thought it would be hard, but surprisingly I feel great!! I still binge on my favorite desserts or white bread, but I try to keep it in check!! The best part of eating healthier is you can still enjoy amazing food!! Here are some of my food obsessions lately! I will post recipes later...here's a teaser!  -K

Roasted veggies

Sauteed veggies

Chicken Ka-bobs

Pony-tail with body and Goodwill shirt and belt

 I have been asked a lot how to I keep body in my hair even when it is in a pony-tail...so, I thought I would tell ya!  I am sure there are several methods on this, but this is what works for me!  I always, always, always back-comb my hair at the crown of my head.  I usually only have to do this right after I wash my hair (which I do only 2xs a week).  But if it is looking flat...let the back-comb be your BFF!

Ignore the lump in my hair...I had it up before this!! :)

Above is a left over back-comb from the night before....as you can see it is pretty settle.  If , I was going to wear my hair down I would have to get after it!  Next pull your hair into a lower pony-tail!  Make your pony-tail holder tight...very tight!

like so.  My face just makes me chuckle...so serious!

Next, pull at your hair at the crown of your head (right where you back-combed it) Keep pulling it until you get the height you like...I also tighten my pony-tail (by pulling the hair in the tail in two pieces in opposite directions) as I pull at it!

like so.

Here is what your finished product should look like!

 It's so easy and it just makes your pony-tail look like you actually spent some time on it!  I also spray a little hair spray into my the "tail" of my pony-tail  and "fluff" to give it a little life!

Also, I wanted to share this shirt and belt I picked up at Goodwill!  I think I spent around $4 for both items!  The shirt is Gap and the belt is JCrew!  Not a bad deal! My shorts are from TJMaxx for around $10-$12!  I like them because they are a respectable length for Wednesday night church or an evening dinner!

A

As I always say to Sara when I hang up the phone with her....Peace.out.

Katie

Weekend Randoms

This weekend was BUSY! I loved (almost) every minute of it though!

Friday I went and watched the BF play slow pitch softball. He did really well. I never knew I had such a slugger on my hands!  After the game, we went and loaded up on some carbs (pasta!) because we were running the Dam to Dam race the following morning. This race is 12.8 miles and, if you don't train, can be quite hellacious to complete! It's a really pretty course.  My sister, Lisa; BF; BF's brother; and BF's friend ran it. Everyone did great and the weather was perfect. Here is a picture of my sister and I after the race:

Lisa did really well (finished with mile averages of 8:30/mile), I did OK (finished with 9:30/mile); and BF did really well, too!! I don't have the picture of Colby (aka BF or Love Face) and I.. I will try to find it.  My body was in excruciating pain because I was a mega-major slacker and did not train enough. My foot still feels like its fractured and when I walk up stairs, my knee locks up!!
After we finished running, I went home and sat in the hot tub to relieve my post-race pain. After I got cleaned up, I went flying with my dad. I fly small, single-engine airplanes for fun with my dad and grandpa.  Anyways, we flew a plane they (dad and gramps) purchased a couple months ago and I hadn't gotten around to flying it because they had it tore apart fixing things! Here's a picture of the plane (Cessna 172):

It's beautiful and so different from what I used to fly (Cessna 150, which is a lot smaller). This plane felt really heavy on the controls, which is just something I am going to have to adjust to! It was fun and I ended making some great landings.  On a related note, I would like to draw your attention to what I was wearing:

This shirt I purchased from Salvation Army is awesome. It's kind of an "Old Woman" shirt but I love it. It is a cotton, button-up that was so comfortable for a hot day in the plane! I originally picked it up to wear to this Erich Church concert I am going to this summer, but I like it for a lazy Saturday! My shorts are from American Eagle and I love them. I wear them all the time.

Anyways, later on Saturday we went to my friend's birthday party, which was really fun and really "random". It was "random" because we were at his parent's house out on probably 10 acres and there was a guy that showed up on their front door--he was bleeding from his head.. Turns out, he had been helping his friend (who's car broke down) try to get his car started, and somehow literally had his head ran over by the car!! It was freaky but the guy ended up being OK. My sister, Lisa, who is a Physician's Assitant, was at the party and went right into action by helping him with his head wound before the ambulance arrived. She's a rockstar!

On Sunday I made a feast for my friend Sarah who just had an adorable little baby boy! I made fettucine alreado with chicken (sauce was made by hand--GO ME!). Here's a pic:

I also took her some garlic bread which I cooked on the grill. For myself, I grilled some delicious veggies. Here is a pic:

These veggies were delicious. I mixed them with a smidge of olive oil then put a salt and pepper mixture on them. Then let them grill for about 20-25 minutes total. I just had some for lunch yesterday! YUMMM.

I wrapped up my Sunday night by playing cards with my girlfriends and sisters! We have formed our own card club--we are awesome and cool--and play every other Sunday night. We play a game called Nertz. It's bomb.com.

Another thing I am really excited about:

RASPBERRIES!!

Much Love,

Sara

Country Roots

This post is going to highlight one of my favorite looks of all time--country-fried cuteness. I really love wearing cowboy boots and a jean vest. Here's what I wore to a friend's birthday party on Saturday night:

I have had the jean vest forever (probably since highschool--I'm 26, so that's a loooong time). It's Gap.  The dress is Merona (Target) and I picked it up last week at Salvation Army. It fit perfectly and is a nice fabric for a black dress in summer time. I purchased the boots from Salvation Army a couple months ago. They are a slouch fit with a small heel. Cute and comfy!

Here's a closer look at the Fossil purse I have on:

I found this at Salvation Army, as well. It's awesome because: (1) It's real leather and feels nice and "buttery", (2) it's a sling over (or whatever you call the cross body thing)--love this for summer, and (3) its a nice neutral color that I can wear with anything.  I need to get more detailed pictures but I use my iPhone and sometimes the light just isn't what it needs to be!

Cheers!
Sara

Shout out and hair do!

I think it's safe to say that Sara's $5 snow blower takes the V card for greatest deals of all times!  So, I won't be posting any deals tonight...It's hard to think a $2 shirt is a good deal when she got a snow blower for only a couple dollars more!  HE HAW!  Also...did you LYAO (Sara that's for you) when you saw it in her tiny car??!!

Hubs and I went to a wedding this past weekend and had a great time!  I was planning on wearing a dressy maxi dress but then ended up in something more tailored.  I had already done my hair according to the maxi dress but just decided to leave it!  I snuck a small braid into my half-back do (not really sure it goes with a "tailored" look so I pulled at it to loosen it up a bit so it would blend in).  Can you find it in my mop?  I have done this hair do a couple other times too.  I like it because it adds some visual interest to a hair do I tend to abuse!  Here are a couple pictures (one of the wedding night and then one of some other random time)! 

For the wedding....

Random..

                                                                               Sorry for the mean faces! Not sure what happened there! HAHA!!  Well, it's only Monday people....so get wild and crazy and throw a braid in your hair! XOXO Katie

      

                                      

$5 Snow Blower = YEE HAW

My friend Gina and I spend our lunch breaks going to thrift stores and garage sales. We work in a suburb that has some pretty great garage sales going on.  Anyways, last Friday, we were driving through a neighborhood and saw a lone ranger sale, so we decided to take a quick peek. Overall, the sale was not very great, but being my grandpa's granddaughter, I see a bright shiny piece of steel out of the corner of my eye and my curiosity was peaked. I quickly investigate and find it is a snowblower with a price tag of $10! I asked what was wrong with it and the girl tells me something is wrong with the carburetor. Well, my grandpa Clate can fix anything, and the snowblower looked pretty nice, so I offer her $3. She runs in the house to ask her mom and the mom approves $5. So, I happily paid my $5 (Gina had to loan me some cash) and was then the proud owner of a Troy Bilt snowblower. The next issue we had to sort out was how to transport the snowblower. Here is what Gina and I finagled:

HAHAHAHA! But it worked and I got it safely home.

After work was over, I called up my grandpa to see if he could look at it. So I go over to his house and the snowblower FIRES UP and CONTINUES TO STAY RUNNING! My grandpa thought I stole the thing for purchasing it for $5. What a deal, huh?!?!  The choke needs some adjusting but I guess that is no big thing to do. A little part of me wonders if the wife of the snowblower owner mistakenly put it up for sale? Maybe he left her and she wanted to get rid of all of his stuff?! Who knows, but I am curious!

I am really excited to have gotten such a good deal on a very nice snowblower that retails for$500+!  Everyone keeps asking me what I plan on doing with the snowblower because I live with my parents, but HELLO, I will be moving out eventually!! And, HELLO, I will be blowing snow with that sexy beast of a snow blower! 

Happy Monday!!

Sara